Kristen Slizgi, founder of The Luxury Travelist, recently jumped on a video chat with a great group of Travelistas eager to learn about her experience and advice as a travel writer. Kristen was genuine, engaging, and insightful with the knowledge she shared and she certainly passed on her passion for stepping out to do what she loves!
Check out her top 10 tips below! (Or, watch the live recording by becoming a member.)
1. Start with Google! Search the internet for different media outlets. Ask yourself—What do you currently read? What kinds of publications interest you? Start with smaller publications, blogs, newly developed sites—they’re most likely in need of writers.
2. First things first—find out if that specific publication you are pitching for has a “Write for us” page or document that gives you tools and tips to pitch.
3 Travel Smart! Reach out to places who will most likely be in their off-season as these places usually have open availability and it won’t cost them anything to host you.
4. Demonstrate credibility. Send a portfolio of your work that has been published (this gives you more credibility)- if
have never had anything published before, create a nice-looking portfolio using canva.com.
5. Be real. Keep your style and voice conversational. Do not be afraid to include personal experiences, especially in tips and advice pieces.. Ultimately, they are looking for pieces that readers can connect with.
6. What's the point? Make sure your pitch has the POINT of the story in it. You want to be able to sit down to write
your tips and tales from the road, ask yourself: what do I want the reader to learn from this?
What’s the take-away?
7. BE SPECIFIC! When you reach out to brands to collaborate with, give everything they need to know so they won’t have to come back and ask questions—how many people will this reach, what is the readership age/gender, will you publish your own photos or do you need photos, what dates will you be here, will you post on social media as well etc.
8. Check for mistakes! Always proofread your article before submission. Print it out. The human eye works better
from a printed copy. Better yet, sleep on it. You’ll be amazed how many mistakes you can
catch the morning after over breakfast
9. Don't quit your day job. I encourage people to have a side hustle, so you can utilize travel writing to see the world for very little while experiencing some unique adventures and being able to write about them. In reality, most of the benefit is "travel trade"..making a living with just travel writing is really difficult.
10. Check out these resources:
Break into Travel Writing Podcast- Episode 125 with Chris Christensen - talks about the future of “influencers” and travel bloggers.
Blogger Bridge- bloggerbridge.com - This site posts great opportunities for travel writers.
Jess Lively Show podcast - Episode 100 with Elizabeth Gilbert
HARO- Help a Reporter Out
Canva- canva.com for creating your portfolio
Great travel communities can be found at www.youngtravelprofessionals.com and
Contact:
Kristen Slizgi Owner and Founder of The Luxury Travelist